Dalai Lama on the Buddhist Violence in Myanmar

[silas]

Basically, he says he's upset that the Buddhists cannot live in peace.

 

 

Violence in Myanmar

Deteriorating relations between Buddhists and the Muslim minority in the Southeast Asian country of Myanmar have resulted in increasing anti-Muslim violence which has claimed dozens of lives. Some of the attacks have been led by Buddhist monks.

“It’s very sad,” said the Dalai Lama. “Any conflict in the name of religion is very sad. All the major religions teach us the practice of love, compassion and forgiveness. So a genuine practitioner among these different religious traditions would not indulge in such violence and bullying of other people. Now we’re in the 21^st century. I think people should realize that all problems must be solved through dialogue, through talk. Use of force and violence is outdated and never solves problems.”

If he could directly address the Buddhist monks who incited some of the violence, the Dalai Lama said he would tell them, “Firstly we are religious people. We are Buddhists. Buddha always teaches us about forgiveness, tolerance, compassion. So if from one corner of your mind, some emotion makes you want to hit, or want to kill, then please remember Buddha’s face. We are followers of Buddha. That I will tell.”

 

 

From: Conflict, Peace and Enlightenment: Wisdom from the Dalai Lama

 

 

[silas]

He met with Aung San Suu Kyi in London last year.

 

 

 

 

 

Dalai Lama And Suu Kyi, Myanmar Activist, Meet In London

Edited April 20, 2013 by silas

[eye_of_the_storm]

love, compassion and forgiveness

Can be many things...

Protecting your family, your people and your practice is love, compassion and forgiveness.

There are some in this world who given the chance would kill every buddhist, burn their temples and teachings and wipe them from the face of the earth.

Would it be love? compassion? forgiveness? to allow this to happen?

Why did the Lama flee Tibet? he should have laid down and died like a good buddhist. (as his thinking goes)

[RongzomFan]

There are some in this world who given the chance would kill every buddhist, burn their temples and teachings and wipe them from the face of the earth.

 

Yes its documented historical fact that Muslims decapitated every Buddhist monk they could in India. And they burned all the texts.

[RongzomFan]

As there is no Creator in any level of Buddhism, Islam and Buddhism are diametrically opposed.

[eye_of_the_storm]

I suppose they are.

From memory didnt the Buddha forbid warriors from becoming monks at the request of the Raj?

Some agreement - As the country was becoming totally defenseless...

So the Buddha also saw a need for self defense?

Not to mention wrathful dieties that protect the dharma?

If the Lama leads his followers to slaughter like lambs is he just as responsable as those committing the acts? (at the end of the day the choice is the individuals)

//

I don't think it fair to forbid anyone from the path but I do see the need to protect oneself... we arn't living in a Buddhist Paradise that doesnt exist haha (how does that work?)

I would advocate warrior monks (like Sikhs I guess?) / + farmers (some trade)

We need to become all these things to survive and be free.

Edited April 24, 2013 by White Wolf Running On Air

[Jetsun]

The Dalai Lama describes in his autobiography that when China invaded Tibet the CIA supplied the Tibetans with arms, he says how funny it was to see some of his old monk friends trying to handle rocket launchers, so at that time he wasn't forbidding people from defending themselves. What he does say though is that what you do shouldn't be done out of hatred as it leads you to the hell realms, anger is risky too as it can easily lead to hate but really it is doing things out of hatred which has to be avoided. Which is why he says he supports the self mutilating monks as long as they do it without hatred in their hearts and have a pure intention.

 

 

I wouldn't say Islam is diametrically opposed to Buddhism either, the Dalai Lama explains quite clearly his position on this in most his recent books how different religions suit the different dispositions and understandings of individuals. Although the indication is I think that Buddhism is needed to gain full enlightenment but you can get up to a level of high Bodhisattva without it, even through Islam.

Edited April 24, 2013 by Jetsun

[eye_of_the_storm]

Interesting thoughts cheers.

I think that everything is an expression of love?

So anger is an expression of love.

If somebody hurts something I love I will be angry... depending upon the degree of my love and the degree of the attack.

Though we have to be wise about what we love and why we love it + to be sure our emotions are not used against us.

A good topic...

[Jetsun]

Interesting thoughts cheers.I think that everything is an expression of love?So anger is an expression of love.If somebody hurts something I love I will be angry... depending upon the degree of my love and the degree of the attack.Though we have to be wise about what we love and why we love it + to be sure our emotions are not used against us.A good topic...

 

I think anger can be an expression of love, or when there is a lack of love anger can come in to correct the imbalance to restore love, if it is the moment. Hatred on the other hand is usually about things in the past and projecting old things onto the present moment, so I don't think hatred can be an expression of love.

[Birch]

“Hope has two beautiful daughters: their names are anger and courage. Anger that things are the way they are. Courage to make them the way they ought to be.”

 

Quote attributed to St Augustine.

 

I have found personally that hatred occurs when anger has been suppressed. I haven't read this but it looks interesting http://www.amazon.com/Prisoners-Hate-Cognitive-Hostility-Violence/dp/0060932007/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366809523&sr=8-1&keywords=cognitive+hatred

 

--2cts--

[Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan]

I am a follower of Free Will. It is the golden rule, it is our intrinsic birthright, it is the central core of all truths and rights, all wrongs and lies...

Free Will to embrtace peace, or free will to embrace conflict. Free will to enslave the masses, free will to murder the masters.

Free will to suffocate yourself, free will to breathe slowly from the feet. Free will to meditate, free will to deliberate. Free will to Love, Free will to Fear, Free will to fight, free will to flee, free will to live, and free will to die.


Allow conflict its own space to breathe. Respire: Do not attempt to conspire. Breathe only for yourself, and allow the conflicting breaths of others their own space to live.